Global Connected Car Market Outlook 2020: Overview of how Tech Companies are Helping Automakers with their Connected Car Strategies

Yahoo News
Trump appoints speechwriter fired for attending conference with white nationalists to commission that preserves Holocaust memorials
Darren Beattie, a former speechwriter fired from the White House in 2018 for attending a conference at which white supremacists were also present, has been appointed to a commission tasked with preserving Holocaust-related sites across Europe.
13h ago
The Daily Beast
Delaware Teens Lured a Classmate Into the Woods—Then Murdered Her With a Baseball Bat: Prosecutors
A Delaware teenager has been charged with murder after allegedly luring her classmate into the woods and beating her to death alongside the girl’s ex-boyfriend, prosecutors said.Annika Stalczynski, 17, was arrested on Monday after a New Castle County grand jury indicted her on several charges—including first-degree murder, possession of a deadly weapon during commission of a felony, and conspiracy—for Madison Sparrow’s Oct. 2 slaying, according to the Delaware Attorney General’s office. Prosecutors allege Stalczynski, along with Sparrow’s ex-boyfriend, 19-year-old Noah Sharp, conspired to lure the teenager to the woods behind Maclary Elementary School, before they ambushed and fatally beat her with a metal baseball bat.The grand jury also indicted Sharp, who was arrested a few days after Sparrow’s death, on the same charges. The teenagers are in custody on $1 million bail.Utah Man Dies in Car Crash After Confessing He Killed His Wife: Authorities“Every murder is an outrage, but the murder of a child strikes at everything we hold dear,” Attorney General Kathy Jennings said in a statement. “Madison was stolen from her family and friends with her life and her dreams still ahead of her. A life has been taken and a cruel trauma has been inflicted on hundreds of people who knew and loved this kind, gentle young woman.”“My heart aches for Madi’s parents, the Sparrow family, and the entire Newark Charter community. We can never replace what these people have lost, but we can—and will—hold her killers accountable,” she added.According to court documents, prosecutors allege Sparrow, a junior at Newark Charter School, was reported missing by her mother at around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 2 after she did not return from a trip to the store with a girlfriend.Another Fort Hood Soldier Has Been Arrested for Murder: AuthoritiesThe following day, police issued a Gold Alert for Sparrow—a notification that’s typically sent out when a senior citizen, suicidal person, or a person with a disability has gone missing. Investigators also spoke to friends and family, who revealed the 17-year-old had gone “to an area in Newark where her ex-boyfriend Noah, was located.”When authorities went to the “wooded area,” which was located behind Maclary Elementary School, they found an aluminum baseball bat, droplets of blood, and Sparrow’s clothing, according to court documents.Prosecutors state Sharp used the bat to fatally beat Sparrow to death—and that Stalczynski had planned the murder with the 19-year-old. An autopsy report confirmed Sparrow died of blunt force trauma to the head.It is not immediately clear why Stalczynski assisted Sharp in the grisly crime. But according to State Prosecutor A.J. Roop, Stalczynski and Sparrow were classmates at the Newark high school and had "known each other for some time."“I believe that they had a relationship going back over a number of years,” Roop said, according to Delaware Online. “I won't get into much more than that, or what the status was recently, but they were acquaintances, and they did know each other.”When investigators questioned Sharp on Oct. 5, following his arrest, the 19-year-old admitted he murdered his ex-girlfriend—confirming he used the bat to commit the crime, court documents state. Sharp added that after killing Sparrow, he moved her body to another “wooded area” about 20 minutes away from the elementary school off Route 896. Hours later, authorities found her body.Grand Jury Declines to Charge Officer Who Killed 21-Year-Old Dreasjon ReedSparrow’s death was met with an outcry of support online, where hundreds sent their condolences and shared stories about the 17-year-old and her family. Two vigils were also held in her honor—one in New Jersey and one at her high school—where hundreds of people met to honor the teenager described by her grandfather as “wise beyond her years.”“To think such a bright light is extinguished at such a young age senselessly,” Sparrow's grandfather, Tom Mason, said at one vigil last month. “This was not an illness. This was not even a car accident. It was an act of violence. It’s inconceivable.”Although prosecutors do not state in court documents why Sharp wanted to kill his ex-girlfriend, they do reveal the 19-year-old admitted the crime was premeditated and that he and Stalczynski murdered Sparrow “in the afternoon/evening hours” the day the teenager went missing.On Tuesday, Jennings stressed his office cannot reveal any possible motives or additional details about the grisly crime because prosecutors are “ethically restrained, for good reason.”“We want to make sure that fair trial rights are preserved, and quite frankly, we cannot imagine how painful this is for Madison's family and friends,” Jennings said. “We don't want them to suffer anymore.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
16h ago
Reuters
Australia 'will always be Australia,' PM responds to China grievances
Australia's prime minister on Thursday pushed back over a list of more than a dozen grievances raised by China regarding his country's human rights diplomacy, independent media and investment policies, saying "we will always be Australia". Tensions between Australia and its largest trading partner China have mounted this year, with Beijing imposing a series of trade reprisals after Canberra led calls for an international inquiry into the coronavirus. Australian government ministers have recently said they want to improve communication with Beijing, but China's foreign ministry has said Australia needs to "take concrete actions to correct their mistakes".
10h ago
The Week
Trump's last-minute foreign policy dumps are reportedly an attempt to overwhelm Biden and drown his agenda
President Trump is making a lot of lame-duck foreign policy decisions that could further his agenda for months and years to come.Trump fired the defense secretary and other Pentagon officials last week, telling acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller to focus on cyber and irregular warfare, particularly in China, an administration official tells CNN. The administration is "contemplating new terrorist designations in Yemen that could complicate efforts to broker peace," CNN continues. And it authorized a huge arms sale to the United Arab Emirates that could heighten tensions throughout the Middle East.All of these moves are plunging the U.S. into tricky territory right before President-elect Joe Biden takes office — and that just may be the point. As one administration official tells CNN, the administration is aiming to "set so many fires that it will be hard for the Biden administration to put them all out." And by forcing Biden into some foreign policy decisions he may have wanted to avoid, Trump could be setting Biden up to follow his agenda even after he's gone from the White House.The strategy "could raise national security risks and will surely compound challenges for the Biden team," CNN writes. But if Biden quickly reverses Trump's decisions, it could also earn him respect and appreciation from foreign adversaries, people close to the Biden transition team say. Other experts noted that some of Biden's foreign policy goals aren't incredibly different from Biden's — withdrawing from Afghanistan, denuclearizing Iran, and managing China's aggression, for example. The two leaders just have very different ways of achieving those goals. Read more at CNN.More stories from theweek.com The class folly of canceling student loans Let's appreciate how extraordinary the vaccines are Donald Trump's future is a Prairie Home Companion
12h ago
National Review
Photos Show California Gov. Newsom Flouting Coronavirus Precautions at Upscale Napa Restaurant
Newly released photos appear to show California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife in an unmasked group eating shoulder-to-shoulder indoors at a birthday party earlier this month.FOX 11 Los Angeles obtained photos from a 50th birthday party for Jason Kinney, a longtime lobbyist and Newsom adviser, at French Laundry on November 6, taken by a witness who told the outlet the group was so loud that open sliding glass doors near where they were seated had to be closed.> EXCLUSIVE: We've obtained photos of Governor Gavin Newsom at the Napa dinner party he's in hot water over. The photos call into question just how outdoors the dinner was. A witness who took photos tells us his group was so loud, the sliding doors had to be closed. 10pm on @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/gtOVEwa864> > -- Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) November 18, 2020On Monday, Newsom apologized for attending the party saying he made a “bad mistake.”“I should have stood up and … drove back to my house…The spirit of what I’m preaching all the time was contradicted,” he said. “ I need to preach and practice, not just preach.”Newsom said that he wanted to “own” his mistake because he was concerned his actions might undermine the message of caution he had sent to residents. The governor instituted new coronavirus restrictions this week, closing indoor dining across much of the state and urging residents to avoid large Thanksgiving gatherings."I’m doing my best every single day in trying to model better behavior,” he said.A spokesman for Kinney defended the gathering, telling FOX 11 that the seating at the upscale restaurant north of San Francisco was considered outdoors. “The guests and the restaurant followed all applicable state and county public health guidance," the spokesperson said. "The guests specifically required outdoor seating. And that’s outdoor seating, as confirmed and provided by the restaurant.” The backlash comes as daily coronavirus cases in the state have doubled in the last 10 days, "the fastest increase California has seen since the beginning of this pandemic," Newsom said Monday. The state surpassed 1 million coronavirus cases last week.
20h ago
Business Insider
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows says he 'can't guarantee' the federal government will avoid a shutdown next month
"Obviously, we want to keep the government funded," Meadows said, per a Capitol Hill pool report. Both parties are negotiating on new spending bills.
16h ago
Architectural Digest
The 7 Best Airbnbs in Austin, Texas
From a vintage trailer to a lush 1950s bungalow, AD has you covered  Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
18h ago
USA TODAY
Wisconsin police officer who fatally shot three people in the last five years is resigning
Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah, who had been suspended since July, is resigning from the department.
20h ago
The Week
Sen. Steve Daines says he participated in Pfizer vaccine trial, tested positive for antibodies
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) revealed on Wednesday that after participating in Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine trial, he has COVID-19 antibodies."My goal is to help build confidence and trust for Montanans and the American people wondering if they should take the vaccine when it is approved," Daines said in a statement. "This is about saving lives."Daines and his wife participated in a blind vaccine trial conducted in Bozeman. While they don't know if they received the vaccine or a placebo, the presence of COVID-19 antibodies indicates Daines was either given the vaccine or was previously exposed to the virus.On Wednesday, Pfizer announced its vaccine is 95 percent effective, and the company will ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization. Daines said that while he thinks "a vaccine is key to getting back to normal, I do not believe in mandating it. I would, however, encourage people to get the vaccine once approved, in consultation with their doctor."More stories from theweek.com The class folly of canceling student loans Let's appreciate how extraordinary the vaccines are Donald Trump's future is a Prairie Home Companion
9h ago
The Independent
Joe Biden announces who will be in his White House team
The first round of senior staff appointments reflects a mix of longtime loyalist and Democratic operatives, as well as an absence of high-profile progressives far-left faction of the party.
2d ago
Yahoo News Video
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan talks about the 'exhausted majority' of Americans who are 'fed up with politics'
While speaking at the Ronald Reagan Institute on Monday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan discussed what he called the “exhausted majority” of Americans who he said are “fed up with politics” and feel ignored by politicians in Washington.
2d ago
The Telegraph
French children could get ID numbers to keep them from 'the clutches of Islamists'
Each child in France will be given an ID number to ensure they are attending school and not in “the clutches of Islamists” under a proposed French law on preventing radicalisation in the wake of a string of attacks. In September, President Emmanuel Macron had already set out plans to tackle what he called the "Islamist separatism" in poor French neighbourhoods, citing claims of children from ultraconservative Muslim families being taken out of school, and sporting and cultural associations being used to indoctrinate youth. "We must save our children from the clutches of the Islamists," interior minister Gérald Darmanin told Le Figaro newspaper on Wednesday. The legislation would ban homeschooling from the age of three bar very limited cases. The draft bill, which was completed after an Islamist beheaded teacher Samuel Paty outside Paris last month, would also make it a crime to intimidate public servants on religious grounds. Another clause cracks down on online hate speech by enabling judges to hold fasttrack trials of terror suspects.
13h ago
Miami Herald
They had sex off a Florida highway in the middle of the day. Passing drivers interrupted
Outdoor dining in a pandemic: Acceptable.
17h ago
The Week
Trump advisers reportedly think Rudy Giuliani is encouraging election lawsuits so he can get paid
Every man has his price, and for Rudy Giuliani, it appears to be $20,000 a day.Several people with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times that Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and President Trump's personal lawyer, has asked the Trump campaign for $20,000 a day to cover his legal services. Giuliani is overseeing the campaign's many court challenges in Trump's attempt to change the outcome of the election.Multiple Trump advisers and aides opposed Giuliani receiving such a hefty amount, the Times reports, and it's unclear how much Giuliani will get when the legal battles are done. Giuliani denied the report, telling the Times he "never asked for $20,000." He added that anyone who says he requested $20,000 a day is "a liar, a complete liar," and "the arrangement is, we'll work it out at the end."On Nov. 4, the day after the election, Giuliani approached Trump and asked to get paid for his legal services, people with knowledge of the matter told the Times. Giuliani has been encouraging Trump to believe in baseless conspiracy theories about voting machine irregularities and other claims of fraud, the sources added, and they believe he is fanning the flames so Trump continues to file lawsuits, thus lining Giuliani's pockets. Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com The class folly of canceling student loans Let's appreciate how extraordinary the vaccines are Donald Trump's future is a Prairie Home Companion
1d ago
Business Insider
Fox News panel erupts at a liberal guest for saying it's 'not time to joke' about COVID-19 as US deaths near 250,000
After mocking new COVID-19 restrictions and trading memes with the panel, Fox News' Pete Hegseth said, "People ignore them, as they should."
15h ago
National Review
Finally, Maduro is Listening
On Monday, Bloomberg broke the news that Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro is inching toward official dollarization. He has ordered the Banco Central de Venezuela to engage in discussions with Venezuelan bankers on the modalities of creating a clearing and settlement system in U.S. dollars. Maduro, in a rare display of good judgment, is taking a necessary step toward what I have been advocating for many years: official dollarization in Venezuela. Indeed, I first proposed this when I was President Rafael Caldera’s chief adviser in 1995.Unlike the opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has been recognized as interim president by the United States, the European Union, and others, Maduro has finally received the message about the only way to stop Venezuela’s hyperinflation immediately. If he continues on this path, he will smash hyperinflation and remain in the saddle.Venezuela’s bolivar is worthless, and its annual inflation rate is the world’s highest. I measure it every day, and today it is 2,156 percent per year. Not surprisingly, Venezuelans get rid of their bolivars like hot potatoes and replace them with U.S. dollars. So, Venezuela is, to a large extent, unofficially dollarized.To stop Venezuela’s death spiral, it must officially dump the bolivar and adopt the greenback. Official “dollarization” is a proven elixir. I know because I operated as a state counselor in Montenegro when it dumped the worthless Yugoslav dinar in 1999 and replaced it with the Deutsche mark. I also watched the successful dollarization of Ecuador in 2001, when I was serving as an adviser to the minister of economy and finance.Countries that are officially dollarized produce lower, less variable inflation rates and higher, more stable economic growth rates than comparable countries with central banks that issue domestic currencies. There is a tried-and-true way to stabilize the economy -- a necessary condition before the massive task of life-giving reforms can begin. It is dollarization. Stability might not be everything, but everything is nothing without stability.Just what does the Venezuelan public think of the dollarization idea? To answer that question, I commissioned a professional survey of public opinion that was conducted in March 2017 by Datincorp in Caracas. The results were encouraging. At that time, 62 percent of the public favored dollarization. Today, since more than 80 percent of transactions in Venezuela take place in U.S. dollars, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to think that the approval rating would now exceed 80 percent. So, it’s not surprising that Maduro has embraced the dollarization idea. After all, the public already does.But, the question I am repeatedly asked is: How do you officially dollarize a place such as Venezuela? To do that, you need a dollarization law. I have drafted such a model law. The model statute is meant to suggest the main features that are desirable for a law on dollarization. Legal technicalities may require an actual statute to be somewhat different.A Model Dollarization Statute For Venezuela 1. The Banco Central de Venezuela shall cease to issue Venezuelan bolivars except as replacements for equal amounts of old currency that become worn out. 2. Except as specified in paragraph 3, wages, prices, assets, and liabilities shall be converted from Venezuelan bolivars to U.S. dollars (“the replacement currency”) at the conversion rate chosen in the law that accompanies this law. By 60 days after this law enters into force, wages and prices shall cease to be quoted in Venezuelan bolivars. 3. 1. Interest rates shall be converted into the replacement currency by the following procedure. The independent committee of experts specified in the law accompanying this law shall choose benchmark interest rates in the Venezuelan bolivar and replacement currency, having similar characteristics with respect to maturity and liquidity insofar as that is possible. The ratio between existing interest rates in Venezuelan bolivars and the benchmark interest rate in the Venezuelan bolivar shall determine the interest rate in the replacement currency, which shall bear the same ratio to the benchmark rate in the replacement currency. 2. In no case, however, shall new interest rates in the replacement currency resulting from the conversion procedure exceed 50 percent a year. 4. The president may appoint a committee of experts on technical issues connected with this law to recommend changes in regulations that may be necessary. 5. Nothing in this law shall prevent parties to a transaction from using any currency that is mutually agreeable. However, the replacement currency may be established as the default currency where no other currency is specified. 6. While Venezuelan bolivars remain in circulation, the government shall accept them in payment of taxes at no premium to the conversion rate with the replacement currency. Acceptance of Venezuelan bolivars shall not be obligatory for any other party. 7. Within five years after this law takes effect, the government shall redeem all outstanding Venezuelan bolivars for the replacement currency or exchange it for government debt bearing a market-determined rate of interest. 8. Existing laws that conflict with this law are void. 9. This law takes effect immediately upon publication.With that, Venezuela has a clear blueprint for how to proceed to smash hyperinflation.
23h ago
Associated Press
GOP increasingly accepts Trump's defeat — but not in public
When Kamala Harris returned to the Senate this week for the first time as vice president-elect, her Republican colleagues offered their congratulations and Sen. Lindsey Graham greeted her with a fist bump. It was a sign that many Republicans have privately acknowledged what they refuse to say openly: Democrat Joe Biden and Harris won the election and will take office in January.
5h ago
The Independent
Ponzi scheme suspect tries to escape FBI using underwater ‘sea scooter’
‘[He] spent some time out of sight underwater where law enforcement could only see bubbles’
2d ago
The Telegraph
Defence chairman accuses Donald Trump of being 'deeply irresponsible' over claims to bomb Iran
The defence committee chairman, Tobias Ellwood, has accused Donald Trump of being "deeply irresponsible" over his claims to bomb Iran while pulling troops out of Afghanistan. Mr Ellwood made his comments after officials in Donald Trump's administration revealed that last week the president sought options for attacking Iran to stop its nuclear programme during his last two months in office. It follows Mr Trump’s announcement that the number of American troops in Afghanistan will drop to 2,500, roughly half the current force size there, and similarly to 2,500 in Iraq, a reduction of around 500. Mr Ellwood, who has made numerous visits to Afghanistan as a backbencher and then when he was foreign minister, warned that the drawdown would “reduce NATO’s security profile diminishing its effectiveness and placing pressure on allies to fill the vacuum or pull out themselves”. He also cited the point that despite losing the recent presidential election to Joe Biden he has yet to concede defeat, even though he is expected to leave the White House by January 20. “Failing to allow the Biden transition team to be briefed on Security matters as well all adds up to petty and irresponsible use of Presidential Executive power,” Mr Ellwood said.
15h ago
Business Insider
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo snapped at reporters at a tense coronavirus press briefing where he learned that NYC schools were closing amid a spike in new infections
The briefing overlapped with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio running over five hours late to his own COVID-19 news conference.
12h ago

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